Do you own a home in Calgary? Do you own a home built before the 1990s? Are you sure there are no asbestos, mold, lead paint, vermiculite, and other dangerous materials around your home?
If these materials exist and aren’t handled correctly by the professionals, they can severely and irreversibly harm you and your family. This is the most important message that Wise Abatement brings to Calgary. We want to keep you and your family safe. We want to protect the things that matter to you.
These dangerous materials may not be visible and may be hiding under the insulation, behind the walls, inside the finishes and so on. If these materials are disturbed without the necessary measures, they can contaminate your air, causing a number of health issues.
Asbestos
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that can be found used in a great range of building applications from around 1990 and earlier. Because of its resistance to heat and high temperature, and because it is durable, asbestos was used for a variety of purposes in home insulation.
Areas in which you may find asbestos insulation in older homes include the attic insulation, vermiculite insulation, wall insulation, some types of drywall joint compounds, vinyl flooring linoleum, some roof shingles and siding, pipe insulation, and furnace duct insulation.
Disturbing asbestos insulation can allow asbestos fibers to become airborne. Breathing in asbestos is dangerous as exposure can cause diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer, mesothelioma, and so on, often after a latency period of several years.
Mold
Mold grows and can flourish if a damp environment exists from excess moisture that may arise from leaks. While basements are particularly at risk of mold contamination due to the cool, dark and damp conditions they often contain, bathrooms and other areas that may accumulate moisture are also places to look for mold.
Mold, of course, has health implications beyond simply not looking great and having a funky smell. Some common health symptoms of mold exposure include allergic reactions, asthma, respiratory tract irritation and wheezing, skin rashes, headache, lethargy, and more.
If left in place and undisturbed, mold can be a health risk through air quality and can damage the structure of your home.
Vermiculite Insulation
There is evidence indicating that much of the vermiculite insulation used in homes across North America from the 1990s to the 1990s came from a mine in Libby, Montana. This mine, and the vermiculite found within, contained naturally occurring asbestos.
Therefore, if you have vermiculite insulation in your home, it very likely contains asbestos and must be handled with extreme caution.
Lead Paint
Before 1978, some older homes were painted using lead paint. Lead paint is highly toxic and when it is disturbed through the chipping, peeling, or any manner of breakage that may take place during home renovations, for example, lead dust can be released and enter the body of the occupants of the home.
If it is left undisturbed, lead paint is far less risky. However, lead in any form is extremely dangerous to people of all ages and especially so for the health and development of children. Lead toxicity is harmful to adults as well.
Wise Abatement: Don’t endanger yourself
If you think that you may have asbestos and/or vermiculite in your home, do NOT disturb it. This includes touching, moving or cleaning these materials, as it may release particles that may pose a risk of illness to yourself and your family.
Your first and most important step is to contact a trained professional for assessment and testing.
Your trusted hazardous material abatement team: Wise Abatement
Protecting yourself, your home, business and/or your property, and your community from harmful substances requires a team that’s got your back.
Wise Abatement is Calgary’s Most Trusted Remediation Team for 13+ years, serving Calgary and other Southern Alberta communities, with our offices located in Calgary. We are a locally-based and reliable service offering professional remediation services.
Wise Abatement’s team features:
- COR Certified: Certificate of Recognition to recognize excellence in workplace safety and a leader in occupational health and safety.
- City of Calgary Licensed: City of Calgary Licensed.
- Complete Coverage: We have $5M in liability, pollution liability is included at $2M.
- Experienced and Skilled: Our team is highly-trained and certified with the newest technology and techniques for effective and safe remediation.
Safe & Effective Hazardous Material Remediation from Wise Abatement
Wise Abatement provides effective and safe remediation of hazardous substances:
- Assessment & Testing: We will perform a visual inspection and take samples of materials to be tested at an accredited laboratory to identify the hazardous material, if there is a problem, the extent of the problem and the materials to be removed.
- Remediation Plan: Upon receipt of test results, our team will provide an assessment and comprehensive remediation plan including a description of the scope of the project, cost estimate, safety and precautions, and timeframes.
- Safe & Controlled Remediation: A team of trained and certified specialists will prepare and control the area and use the appropriate equipment and safety measures to avoid cross contamination. All contaminated materials will be contained and removed safely and will be disposed of per the requirements for hazardous waste as defined by local environmental authorities.
- Post Remediation Inspection and Air Quality Testing: We clean the affected area once hazardous materials have been removed. We recommend air quality testing by an independent third party as proof of effective remediation.
- Safe Removal Guarantee: Wise Abatement provides Safe Removal Guarantee: we deliver documentation upon the completion of the project.
Wise Abatement Tip: Should you be renovating your property (home or business) built prior to 1990, consider testing for hazardous materials before you get started.
Why Choose Wise Abatement?
If you are looking for an effective remediation service, Wise Abatement offers:
- Personalized and friendly service
- Fast response
- No compromise on health and safety
- Full transparency
- Safe removal guarantee: We ensure that harmful pollutants are removed safely and completely. Obtain clearance letters issued by a qualified third-party to verify your air quality and to confirm that it is safe for you to re-enter the property. Trustworthy interaction: we have transparent pricing and honest communication and we don’t have any surprises and no hidden expenses and this is how a job is handled properly. Feel more secure, breathe more cleanly, and live more healthily when you know you live in a home that is completely devoid of dangerous materials.
Is your home potentially full of harmful materials?
Do not risk your loved one’s wellness, or take the risk of hidden contaminants in your home. Speak with one of the top remediation experts in Calgary with a free phone consultation on (587) 997-6500 today, or request an assessment to find out how Wise Abatement can assist you with restoring safety to your home.
FAQs
Q1: How can I tell if there is asbestos in my home?
A1: Only testing performed by a professional can determine if there is actually any asbestos in my home. It is not at all uncommon for a material containing asbestos to look identical to a material without asbestos, and it can be difficult to tell the difference. If your home was built in 1990 or earlier, you need to get materials such as vermiculite insulation, linoleum, or various types of plaster assessed by a professional before doing any work on them to change them.
Q2: If I find out that there is mold growing in my home, what should I do?
A2: When mold is limited to a small area (under one square meter), it can be handled safely and effectively by a homeowner so long as they take proper precautions while dealing with it. If the affected mold infestation affects a larger area, has a fluffy black, or slimy appearance or if it is suspected to be coming from an area behind the walls, it will likely need to be removed by a certified remediation contractor. A certified mold remediation contractor like Wise Abatement will be able to determine where the mold is coming from and will take steps to address it so that it is not allowed to grow again.
Q3: Is all vermiculite asbestos?
A3: Almost all of the vermiculite insulation bought and sold in the United States and Canada was quarried at a mine in Libby, Montana. It has a well-established history of asbestos contamination. Therefore, if there is vermiculite insulation in the attic and walls of the home, you need to assume that the vermiculite is asbestos, and you need to handle it extremely carefully and not allow it to be agitated. Only a professional assessment will be able to confirm if there is actually any asbestos present.
Q4: Is it required to do a test for harmful materials in an older home in Calgary before performing any renovations?
A4: Yes. In Alberta, any older residence that was built before 1990, it is mandatory to do an evaluation for dangerous substances like asbestos, lead based paint, and mold before any work is started on it. In addition to concerns about safety, many commercial structures and even major renovations may also be required to undergo a testing process prior to the start of the project. This helps ensure that hazardous materials are identified and safely removed prior to starting the work, to keep both the workers and any future occupants from being harmed.
